Reporting System (CERS)

Reporting System (CERS)

November 28, 2019 – Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) issued Customs Notice CN19-22 on November 25, 2019 to inform exporters and customs service providers (CSPs) of the following upcoming changes:

the 2020 version of the Canadian Automated Export Declaration (CAED) program software will be available for download on December 9, 2019;

there are revisions to the “Places of Exit” field and changes to export reporting information; and,

the CAED program will be retired on June 30, 2020 and replaced by the CBSA Canadian Export Reporting System (CERS).

The 2018 version of CAED will expire onJanuary 31, 2020, after which time only the 2020 version will be valid. CAED participants should upgrade to the 2020 version by downloading the software along with the release notes from the website.

Exporters and CSPs are required to report their goods in accordance with the Reporting of Exported Goods Regulations (PDF). Failure to provide true, accurate and complete information on an export declaration could result in delays to the export of the goods and/or assessment of administrative monetary penalties. A detailed description of all goods, including make and model, if applicable, must be provided on the declaration.

Exporters and CSPs should verify if the export of goods also requires presentation of a valid permit, and/or licence, and/or certificate issued by government agencies that control such goods for export by referencing the “Commodities that may Require an Export Permit” page on the CBSA website.

A conveyance identification number must be included on the declaration when reporting the export of a vehicle/conveyance.

The CAED program will be replaced by a new export reporting system, the Canadian Export Reporting System (CERS). The CBSA and Statistics Canada have mutually agreed to retire CAED due to its aging technology. CERS has been designed by the CBSA to meet current export program requirements while providing flexibility for future system enhancements.

CERS is a free, web-based, self-service portal that will enable exporters and CSPs to continue to submit export declarations electronically to the CBSA for the purpose of reporting the export of commercial goods. It includes many of the same data requirements as CAED and is designed to accept Summary Reporting Program (SRP) reports of eligible goods, as well as have the functionality allowing businesses to submit a large set of declaration data via its “bulk upload” feature.

Effective June 30, 2020, all exporters and CSPs who previously used CAED, will be required to use CERS or G7 EDI to report their goods and submit their declarations to the CBSA. Also, as of June 30, 2020, the CBSA will be mandating electronic export reporting and will no longer accept Paper Export Declaration Forms (B13A). Exporters, or their customs service providers, will be required to report their exports electronically.

Exporters and CSPs who have submitted export declarations electronically or SRP reports anytime between December 1, 2017 and December 1, 2019 will receive a letter from the CBSA informing them how to activate their CERS business accounts during a specified onboarding period between February and June 2020. Once your CERS account is activated, you should only use this system to report your goods and not revert back to using CAED.

However, if your business has not submitted these types of export declarations within the specified two-year timeframe or you are new to reporting export goods electronically, the CBSA encourages you to register for CERS once registration opens onMarch 16, 2020.

In preparation for CERS activation/registration, exporters and CSPs should review and verify their Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) issued business numbers to determine that they are activated for export, valid and not expired, as well as to confirm all contact, address and related information is current. You may contact the CRA business enquiries line at 1-800-959-5525, for business number registration and changes.